a relationship in which the effect of one factor (such as biology) depends on another factor (such as environment)

conformity

change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagines group pressure Asch's research - line test - people faced with strong group consensus sometimes go along even though they think the others may be wrong

compliance

conformity that involves publicly acting in accord with an implied or explicit request while privately disagreeing (direct request) "please do it because its my birthday"

obedience

acting in accord with a direct order or command

acceptance

conformity that involves both acting and believing in accord with social pressure

autokinetic phenomenon

self (auto) motion (kinetic) - the apparent movement of stationary point of light in the dark (optical illusion)

cohesiveness

"we feeling" ; the extent to which members of a group are bound together, such as by attraction for one another

normative influence

conformity based on a persons desire to fulfill others expectations, often gain acceptance

informational influence

conformity occurring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people

reactance

a motive to protect or restore one's sense of freedom. reactance arises when someone threatens our freedom of action

persuasion

the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors

central route to persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

peripheral route to persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as speaker's attractiveness

credibility

believability. a credible communicator is perceived as both expert and trustworthy

sleeper effect

delayed impact of a message that occurs when an initially discounted message become effective, as we remember the message but forget the reason for discounting it

attractiveness

having qualities that appeal to an audience. an appealing communicator (often someone similar to the audience) is most persuasive on matters of subjective preference

primary effect

other things being equal information presented first usually has the most influence

recency effect

information presented last sometimes has the most influence. recency effects are less common than primary effects

channel of communication

the way the message is delivered - whether face-to-face, in writing, on film, or in some other way

two-step flow of communication

process by which media influence often occurs through opinion leaders, who in turn influence others

need for cognition

motivation to think and analyze. assessed by agreement with items such as "The notion of thinking abstractly is appealing to me" and disagreement with items such as "I only think as hard as i have to"

cult

group typically characterized by 1. distinctive ritual and beliefs related to its devotion to a god or person 2. isolation from surrounding "evil" culture 3. charismatic leader

attitude inoculation

exposing people to weak attacks upon their attitudes so that when stronger attacks come, they will have refutations available

group

two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as "us"

co-actors

co-participants working individually on a noncompetitive activity

social facilitation

1. tendency to perform simple or well- learned tasks better wen others are present 2. strengthening of dominant (prevalent, likely) responses in the presence of others, weakening of non dominant tasks in the present of others

evaluation apprehension

concern for how others are evaluating us

social loafing

the tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable

free riders

people who benefit from the group but give little in return

deindividuation

loss of self-awareness and evaluations apprehension; occurs in group situations that foster responsiveness to group norms, good or bad

group polarization

group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies; a strengthening of the members' average tendency, not a split within the group

pluralistic ignorance

false impression of what most other people are thinking or feeling, or how they are responding

social comparison

evaluating ones opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others

groupthink

concurrence - seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action

leadership

the process by which certain group members motivate and guide the group

task leadership

leadership that organizes work, sets standards, and focuses on goals

social leadership

leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support